This invention relates to a garbage pail and lid arrangement and more particularly to a garbage pail and lid arrangement incorporating a variety of convenience and security features.
Garbage pails currently available for use, plastic or metal, utilize covers or lids which are fitted to the top opening, relying on friction to hold them in place. A variety of problems arise as a result of this construction. If the fit is very tight it becomes annoyingly difficult to put the lid in place or to remove it. Where the fit is loose, as is usually the case because of the relatively inexpensive construction and the need to have interchangeability of lids and pails, the filled garbage pail is subject to being opened by roaming animals such as dogs and cats with the result that the garbage is frequently strewn over the street. In addition, when the lid becomes separated from the pail, the former may not be recovered so that the pail is left without a cover.
Efforts to combat these problems include the use of ropes, chains, and springs stretched through the handle on the lid and connected to the handles on the sides. These devices or arrangements are subject to a variety of drawbacks. If they are tightly drawn then it is difficult to remove or replace the lids. If they are connected loosely, then access to the garbage within the pails by animals remains as a problem. Springs designed to satisfy both of the requirements of ease of lid removal and replacement, and secure attachment, become stretched out with use and must frequently be replaced.